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The DriveGuard is Bridgestone's Grand Touring All-Season self-supporting replacement run-flat tire designed for safety-minded drivers whose vehicles* were not originally available with run-flat tires, as well as drivers looking for a longer wearing, better riding option to replace their vehicle's Original Equipment run-flat tires.

Featuring Bridgestone's latest run-flat technology, DriveGuard tires are designed to offer almost the same riding comfort as conventional tires while providing temporary extended mobility for a distance of 50 miles at up to 50 mph even after a puncture has allowed complete air pressure loss. DriveGuard tires can help drivers better manage their busy schedules by avoiding becoming stranded in a rural area, on a crowded expressway or in inclement weather because of a flat tire.

DriveGuard tires are also designed to provide year-round driving flexibility by offering predictable handling, traction and control on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow.

DriveGuard tires mold a silica-enhanced all-season tread compound into an asymmetric tread design that blends predictable handling and cornering stability with long wear and all-season traction. Circumferential and cross grooves help evacuate water to resist hydroplaning while engineered sipes increase the number of biting edges to enhance wet road and wintertime traction.

The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped nylon on top of a rayon cord casing that features reinforced sidewalls to temporarily support the vehicle after a puncture causes a loss of air pressure. Bridgestone's NanoPro-Tech Sidewall reinforced rubber compound is molded into sidewalls that feature a sophisticated Cooling Fin Design
to blend run-flat performance with a lighter-weight construction that doesn't sacrifice as much ride comfort.

*Vehicles must be equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

*Specific sizes utilizing eco-focused manufacturing methods are identified as such on the Sizes tab, as well as on the tire's Specs tab.

Notes

Specifications shown are as accurate as possible based on the information provided to us by the tire manufacturers. The dimensions reflect average values for tires measured on the specified measuring rim width. Individual tires may vary from data shown.

All tires are subject to continuous development. The tire manufacturers and Tire Rack reserve the right to change product specifications at any time without notice or obligation.

*Although regularly updated, the country of origin for any tire may vary from the country shown here. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate requests for tires with a specific country of origin.

Tire Rack Test ResultsBridgestone DriveGuard

Tires Tested

We often hear people say, "I want a safe tire." It's not an unreasonable request; nobody wants to put themselves, their loved ones and the people around them in harm's way, after all. But how should a safe tire be defined? What is the evaluation criteria in the safety column on our checklist? Should it be able to handle well enough to steer clear of a potential accident, or maybe stop, turn and accelerate in the wet? Our testing has shown that even the least capable tires in these categories meet minimum reasonable standards to avoid being labeled unsafe. Perhaps, then, a safe tire is one that is impervious to harm and able to resist any puncture or impact damage. While this is great in concept, the execution may prove difficult due to the constraints of reality. If an indestructible tire isn't realistic, then maybe the next best option is a tire that will enable the driver to continue traveling even after it has sustained a complete loss of air pressure, allowing him or her to address the air loss when it is convenient and, yes, safe to do so.

This is the philosophy behind Bridgestone's DriveGuard line of tires. Take a tire with all the characteristics of the Grand Touring All-Season category - a smooth and quiet ride, sporty handling, good looks and capability in the wet and light snow - then add the additional benefit of extended mobility for up to 50 miles at up to 50 miles per hour after complete air pressure loss. Allowing the driver to choose when and where he or she will stop to address the issue of a damaged tire provides a safety net and delivers peace of mind.

The majority of minivan and crossover vehicle (CUV) drivers list safety as one of their primary considerations when making a tire purchase, and CUVs represent the fastest-growing vehicle segment in the United States. This year, Bridgestone is expanding the DriveGuard lineup with seven new sizes commonly used on these types of automobiles. The new sizes feature modified sidewall inserts to ensure suitability for installation on high center of gravity vehicles and also an updated tread design and compound focused on improved durability and resisting uneven shoulder wear that can occur in these applications.

To demonstrate the tire's new capabilities, Bridgestone invited select dealers and journalists to experience production-spec DriveGuard tires at the product launch event in the spring of 2016.

Extended Mobility for an Expanded Audience

Our team's first experience with the new DriveGuard was behind the wheel of a 2016 Honda Odyssey minivan equipped with 235/65R17 tires, a vehicle that previously would not have been able to use DriveGuards. The tires were inflated to factory-recommended pressures, with the exception of the front driver's side tire, the valve core of which was located in the Bridgestone representative's shirt pocket, and as a result was at 0 psi. Our drive route traversed local service roads with 35 mph posted speed limits and low-speed turns. Even when installed on a high center of gravity vehicle, driving with zero pressure was drama-free. A slight rumble at all speeds from the front driver's side was the only audible indication that something was amiss. More noticeable were a moderate pull to the left that lessened in severity as the speed increased and a slight wallow through right hand turns when the vehicle's weight shifted toward the corner equipped with the deflated tire.

If It's Not Broken

It's no secret that one of the primary complaints surrounding traditional run-flat tires concerns their relatively stiff ride. When the Bridgestone DriveGuard was released, it was somewhat revolutionary due to the fact that it offered both extended mobility after complete air loss and ride quality that was comparable to traditional touring tires. Because of this, the news of a change to the tire's sidewall inserts may have been cause for concern among those in attendance, so the next demonstration was designed to calm those fears. Our group of testers moved to a small portion of the infield track where four 2016 Honda CR-Vs were waiting, and a clearly defined course had been set up using orange parking cones. Two of the CR-Vs had Bridgestone DriveGuard tires installed, and two featured the Michelin Latitude Tour HP, all in the factory 225/65R17 size and set to factory recommended inflation pressures. Following the prescribed route quickly forced the driver over the rumble strips carved into the track's perimeter. Then after a sweeping right-hand turn, the vehicle encountered unevenly spaced speed bumps alternating between the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle and another section of rumble strips before returning to the start to switch vehicles and experience the comparison tire. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP is considered by most to offer a pleasurable driving experience with a comfortable and composed ride, so the fact that it was chosen as the comparison tire illustrated Bridgestone's confidence. Both tires represented themselves well, with the DriveGuard matching the composure of the Latitude Tour HP over the rumble strips. The acute impact of the speed bumps was slightly sharper in the DriveGuard-shod CR-V, but likely would not be perceptible unless the two tires were experienced back-to-back. Overall, our initial impression indicates that during the quest for functionality on high center of gravity vehicles, the ride quality of the DriveGuard has not been sacrificed along the way.

Summary

With the addition of seven new sizes commonly used on minivans and crossovers, the DriveGuard line of tires has expanded to reach new markets and allow more drivers to continue their journey. The demonstrations arranged by Bridgestone affirm that safety-focused drivers of these vehicles have a smooth-riding, all-season touring tire option with the added benefit of up to 50 miles of driving at up to 50 miles per hour after a tire puncture has resulted in complete air loss.

Media Gallery

Bridgestone's newest 3G RFT tire design is simply called DriveGuard, a run-flat tire designed to equal or better the ride of any OEM run-flat, and even be comfortable enough to install on cars that didn't come with run-flat tires as Original Equipment.

But how does it perform when it snows? We went to Sweden to test this tire where winter reigns supreme.

Designed to be a better riding run-flat, Bridgestone's DriveGuard aims to be the simple mainstream solution, providing appropriate road manners and extended mobility capabilities for any passenger car with a tire pressure monitoring system.

But how does it perform when it snows? We went to Sweden to test this tire where winter reigns supreme

Bridgestone DriveGuard - a Smoother-Riding Run-Flat Tire (03:17)

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Bridgestone's newest 3G RFT tire design is simply called DriveGuard, a run-flat tire designed to equal or better the ride of any OEM run-flat, and even be comfortable enough to install on cars that didn't come with run-flat tires as Original Equipment.

Bridgestone DriveGuard: Adding Peace of Mind to Your Car (03:35)

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Designed to be a better riding run-flat, Bridgestone's DriveGuard aims to be the simple mainstream solution, providing appropriate road manners and extended mobility capabilities for any passenger car with a tire pressure monitoring system.

How well does it work on a common mid-sized sedan and our BMW test vehicles?